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Here's How the New Christian Left Is Twisting the Gospel

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Here's How the New Christian Left Is Twisting the Gospel
12:00PM EDT 3/15/2017
by Chelsen Vicari

Peek behind the curtain of some "progressive" or "hip" evangelical churches, past the savvy technology and secular music, and you will find more than just a contemporary worship service. You'll find faith leaders encouraging young evangelicals to trade in their Christian convictions for a gospel filled with compromise. They're slowly attempting to give evangelicalism an "update"—and the change is not for the good.

It's painful for me to admit, but we can no longer rest carefree in our evangelical identity—because it is changing. No doubt you have seen the headlines declaring that evangelicalism is doomed because evangelical kids are leaving the faith. It is no secret that there is an expanding gulf between traditional Christian teachings and contemporary moral values. But the sad truth is that the ideological gulf between America's evangelical grown-ups and their kids, aka the millennials, seems to be widening too.

Somehow the blame for this chasm is being heaped on traditional churches. They are accused of having too many rules as well as being homophobic and bigoted. Yes, we've heard those false claims from popular culture in its desperate attempt to keep Christianity imprisoned within the sanctuary walls. But now popular culture is being aided by Christ-professing bedfellows whose message to "coexist," "tolerate" and "keep out of it" is more marketable to the rising generation of evangelicals.

The seasoned Christian soldiers are noticing these distortions of the gospel. But for young evangelicals, the spiritual haze is harder to wade through. Desperate for acceptance in a fallen world, many young evangelicals (and some older ones) choose not to take Christ out of the chapel, and so they are unwittingly killing the church's public witness. In this uphill cultural battle, mired by scare tactics and fear, three types of evangelical Christians are emerging:

  • Couch-potato Christians: These Christians adapt to the culture by staying silent on the tough culture-and-faith discussions. Typically, this group will downplay God's absolute truths by promoting the illusion that neutrality was Jesus' preferred method of evangelism.
  • Cafeteria-style Christians: This group picks and chooses which Scripture passages to live by, opting for the ones that best seem to jive with culture. Typically, they focus solely on the "nice" parts of the gospel while simultaneously and intentionally minimizing sin, hell, repentance and transformation.
  • Convictional Christians: In the face of the culture's harsh admonitions, these evangelicals refuse to be silent. Mimicking Jesus, they compassionately talk about love and grace while also sharing with their neighbors the need to recognize and turn from sin.
I know about these three types of Christians because at one time or another, I have fallen into each of these three categories. My parents will tell you that even though I was raised in church, I morphed into a full-fledged feminist, told my parents they were ignorant for not endorsing homosexuality and bought into the distorted social justice rhetoric that confuses caring for the poor with advancing socialist or big government systems and demonizing the United States for its free-market system.

I'm not ashamed to share my story because my experiences and those of my fellow bold evangelicals are a testimony of God's awesome, transforming power. Being countercultural for Christ isn't easy. What does the Great Commission say? Jesus commanded us to go, "teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20a).


More at the Link:

http://www.charismamag.com/life/culture/22494-how-the-new-christian-left-is-twisting-the-gospel
 
Here's How the New Christian Left Is Twisting the Gospel
12:00PM EDT 3/15/2017
by Chelsen Vicari

Peek behind the curtain of some "progressive" or "hip" evangelical churches, past the savvy technology and secular music, and you will find more than just a contemporary worship service. You'll find faith leaders encouraging young evangelicals to trade in their Christian convictions for a gospel filled with compromise. They're slowly attempting to give evangelicalism an "update"—and the change is not for the good.

It's painful for me to admit, but we can no longer rest carefree in our evangelical identity—because it is changing. No doubt you have seen the headlines declaring that evangelicalism is doomed because evangelical kids are leaving the faith. It is no secret that there is an expanding gulf between traditional Christian teachings and contemporary moral values. But the sad truth is that the ideological gulf between America's evangelical grown-ups and their kids, aka the millennials, seems to be widening too.

Somehow the blame for this chasm is being heaped on traditional churches. They are accused of having too many rules as well as being homophobic and bigoted. Yes, we've heard those false claims from popular culture in its desperate attempt to keep Christianity imprisoned within the sanctuary walls. But now popular culture is being aided by Christ-professing bedfellows whose message to "coexist," "tolerate" and "keep out of it" is more marketable to the rising generation of evangelicals.

The seasoned Christian soldiers are noticing these distortions of the gospel. But for young evangelicals, the spiritual haze is harder to wade through. Desperate for acceptance in a fallen world, many young evangelicals (and some older ones) choose not to take Christ out of the chapel, and so they are unwittingly killing the church's public witness. In this uphill cultural battle, mired by scare tactics and fear, three types of evangelical Christians are emerging:

  • Couch-potato Christians: These Christians adapt to the culture by staying silent on the tough culture-and-faith discussions. Typically, this group will downplay God's absolute truths by promoting the illusion that neutrality was Jesus' preferred method of evangelism.
  • Cafeteria-style Christians: This group picks and chooses which Scripture passages to live by, opting for the ones that best seem to jive with culture. Typically, they focus solely on the "nice" parts of the gospel while simultaneously and intentionally minimizing sin, hell, repentance and transformation.
  • Convictional Christians: In the face of the culture's harsh admonitions, these evangelicals refuse to be silent. Mimicking Jesus, they compassionately talk about love and grace while also sharing with their neighbors the need to recognize and turn from sin.
I know about these three types of Christians because at one time or another, I have fallen into each of these three categories. My parents will tell you that even though I was raised in church, I morphed into a full-fledged feminist, told my parents they were ignorant for not endorsing homosexuality and bought into the distorted social justice rhetoric that confuses caring for the poor with advancing socialist or big government systems and demonizing the United States for its free-market system.

I'm not ashamed to share my story because my experiences and those of my fellow bold evangelicals are a testimony of God's awesome, transforming power. Being countercultural for Christ isn't easy. What does the Great Commission say? Jesus commanded us to go, "teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20a).


More at the Link:

http://www.charismamag.com/life/culture/22494-how-the-new-christian-left-is-twisting-the-gospel


We all go through levels of understanding, the world is basically a school house to bring an individual to Christ.
What the church cant do, and where we fall short as parents or maybe it's a college that just swings way off.
The world never fails, the Lord works through all things for the good. It is perfect for what He wants and is doing in this earth with His creation.
You can't out do the Lord, I believe in being the positive influence your describing, but that is not going to make the impact we need today.
I listen to alot of Christian talk radio and they make a difference no dought about it but God bless them they live in a dream land of "hope something is going to change." It's not, it's fixed and no man is going to change that. We can blame Satan, parents, churches, pastors, the world, religion or whatever your blame may lay.
It takes time for a person to come to themselves sometime. The Lord deals with us based on eternity, the moment we believed we moved into a realm we have never experienced before, so the teaching begins.
 
I did say effort to..

Satan has tried to lead struggling souls away from Truth since Eden.

Parable of the soils comes to mind.

I did read that. And I wanted to add that one can undermine the Gospel if by that it is meant that they can distort the truth so that hearers of a distorted gospel believe the distortions and follow a counterfeit. In this case, the truth of the Gospel of Jesus has been undermined in the life of those following and believing in the distorted version.
 
The gospel is always true, unchangeable, what we interpret to be truth and call the gospel may get undermined.
We have alot of truth, but don't misinterpret that as the gospel.
The gospel is a person just like the truth is a person, Gal. 1:11-12,
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I understand what you are seeing and saying, sure we would like to see some things change.
This is my opinion only based on some experience.
My advice to someone that can see what is going on is simply this; find out what the gospel is.
If you want to know it will be revealed to you, may take some time, took Paul awhile because of his back ground.
We are given the ministry of reconciliation, basically that is our ministry as Christians. We are not picketers, protesters, right, left or what nots.
There are things that come out of that ministry, what ever the need is you see in the world we try to reach it if possible. You have Christ in you now, that has to be addressed in our daily living and spontaneous lives.
 
The "sound Byte war" is a losing battle for people Jesus Characterized as shallow soil. Paul referred to a lot of this as "winds of doctrine".

When I witness I bare my lifestyle. It's a walk and a race at the same time.
But I'm happy and content and prosperous at the same time. My lifestyle is very attractive to a lost and desperate world. I never claim to be a perfect man...But there is much to say about living with contentment. Chasing after "the good life" which is slow, boring, and yet as sure as the sun rising. A major part of my life is my relationship with God. I make no pretence of it being anything else.
And in my grubby world of construction workers (mostly men) it has an appeal.

I don't need to repackage it, don't need to dress it up. It stands all by itself. Relationship witnessing isn't about getting hundreds or thousands to stand at an altar pledging aleigance to God with tears on their faces. It's about slowly infecting those around you with a desire to have their own relationship with God.

Stuff happens, life is hard sometimes, but my God is harder yet and He don't stand for his kids to get abused by just anyone for any reason. He can restore the years the locust have eaten. He can build a nation in a day. He can make a pauper a prince. He has made a slave a king, given a con-man a glowing legacy, a murderer a Ruler, and I can't even count the number of nobodies into somebodies. Why He's even given life to the likes of me is beyond my understanding...But this message is what sells. Anything else is something else.
 
Relationship witnessing isn't about getting hundreds or thousands to stand at an altar pledging aleigance to God with tears on their faces. It's about slowly infecting those around you with a desire to have their own relationship with God.
Right. It is the evangelist who then brings them to Christ.
The rest of us, we just share our own knowledge, and life and experience with God and plant the seeds that the evangelist will then bring to fruition.
 
Right. It is the evangelist who then brings them to Christ.
The rest of us, we just share our own knowledge, and life and experience with God and plant the seeds that the evangelist will then bring to fruition.
That's exactly the opposite of what I said and intended.

People who change their minds quickly to having a relationship with God are just as likely to change it to not have a relationship with God.

Let the " bandwagon" crowd come after the pillars of the societies come.
 
Last edited:
Relationship witnessing isn't about getting hundreds or thousands to stand at an altar pledging aleigance to God with tears on their faces. It's about slowly infecting those around you with a desire to have their own relationship with God.

I want this for my sig file. That is awesome!
 
You can't undermine the Gospel of Christ

That's not what Paul taught the Galatians:

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! (Gal 1:6-8 NIV)​

Oz
 
That's not what Paul taught the Galatians:

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! (Gal 1:6-8 NIV)​

Oz
Thanks for that. I'd forgotten about that verse. I'd say that rather clears this up completely.
 
soul man,

You stated:
The gospel is a person just like the truth is a person, Gal. 1:11-12,
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel was revealed to Paul by the person of Jesus Christ, so he said here, but the Gospel (which means 'good news') is a proclamation of that 'good news'.

Paul confirmed this in 1 Cor 9:16 (NIV): 'For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!'

Of course there will be content that involves the person of Jesus Christ in the gospel but the gospel is to be preached/proclaimed/shared.

Oz
 
Thanks for that. I'd forgotten about that verse. I'd say that rather clears this up completely.

Thanks Papa.

2 Cor 11:4 (NIV) gives a similar warning of the possibility of fake gospels being proclaimed:

'For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough'.​

Blessings,
Oz
 
If you really want to be counter-cultural, just start teaching that the Earth and universe are roughly 6,000 years old according to the Bible. Then you'll see where people's loyalties are and what their relationship to God is really like.
 
The "sound Byte war" is a losing battle for people Jesus Characterized as shallow soil. Paul referred to a lot of this as "winds of doctrine".

When I witness I bare my lifestyle. It's a walk and a race at the same time.
But I'm happy and content and prosperous at the same time. My lifestyle is very attractive to a lost and desperate world. I never claim to be a perfect man...But there is much to say about living with contentment. Chasing after "the good life" which is slow, boring, and yet as sure as the sun rising. A major part of my life is my relationship with God. I make no pretence of it being anything else.
And in my grubby world of construction workers (mostly men) it has an appeal.

I don't need to repackage it, don't need to dress it up. It stands all by itself. Relationship witnessing isn't about getting hundreds or thousands to stand at an altar pledging aleigance to God with tears on their faces. It's about slowly infecting those around you with a desire to have their own relationship with God.

Stuff happens, life is hard sometimes, but my God is harder yet and He don't stand for his kids to get abused by just anyone for any reason. He can restore the years the locust have eaten. He can build a nation in a day. He can make a pauper a prince. He has made a slave a king, given a con-man a glowing legacy, a murderer a Ruler, and I can't even count the number of nobodies into somebodies. Why He's even given life to the likes of me is beyond my understanding...But this message is what sells. Anything else is something else.

hello JohnDB, dirtfarmer here

I have never heard it called "relationship witnessing". You have explained it in a way that many may disagree with. I was raised with "close your eyes and raise your hand" type of evangelism. I didn't like it then and I still don't. In the 60's and 70's it was about the "number" of professions each Sunday, get'um saved and then they are on their own. If we treated our infants like that, get'um birthed and then they are own their own, the survival rate would be very low.

I have ranted enough.
dirtfarmer
 
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